Tornado updates: At least 5 dead in Missouri as storms tear across US

Some areas are still reeling from another tornado outbreak.

ByJulia Jacobo, Max Golembo, Morgan Winsor, and Nadine El-Bawab
Last Updated: April 6, 2023, 8:10 AM EDT

Communities across the United States -- from small towns to big cities -- were on alert for tornadoes on Wednesday, as a major storm system sweeps through areas still reeling from devastating twisters.

There were an unspecified number of injuries and fatalities confirmed in Missouri's Bollinger County after a tornado hit the Glenallen area, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

At least nine other tornadoes had already been reported across Iowa and Illinois, including a "large and extremely dangerous tornado" that touched down near Canton, Illinois, on Tuesday evening, according to the National Weather Service.

Authorities confirmed fatalities and injuries in a suspected tornado west of Marble Hill, Mo., early Wednesday, April 5, 2023.
Missouri State Highway Patrol

On Wednesday morning, the National Weather Service issued a tornado watch for parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana and Ohio.

As the storm continues to move east, severe weather is in the forecast for a vast area -- from western Texas to western New York.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Apr 05, 2023, 6:39 PM EDT

More than 80 structures damaged in Bollinger County, governor says

Dozens of structures have been damaged in a tornado in Bollinger County, Missouri, on Wednesday morning, according to officials.

At least 87 structures were damaged, 12 of them "totally destroyed," Missouri Gov. Mike Parson announced in a press conference Wednesday afternoon.

The National Weather Service confirmed that an EF2 tornado with 130 mph winds touched down in Bollinger County. At least 11 tornadoes have been reported to have occurred on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the NWS.

Debris and wreckage are seen after a tornado touched down, April 5, 2023 in Glenallen, Missouri.
Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images

Five people in Missouri died in the storm and another five were injured, Parson said.

All residents in Bollinger County have been accounted for following the tornado, Missouri Highway Patrol Sgt. Clark Parrott told ABC News.

-ABC News' Darren Reynolds

Apr 05, 2023, 4:01 PM EDT

At least 11 tornadoes reported in last 36 hours

There have been at least 11 tornadoes reported across Iowa, Illinois and Missouri since an outbreak of severe storms began on Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.

Two tornadoes have been confirmed, including an EF2 with 130 mph winds in Bollinger County, Missouri, where five people were killed, and another in Henry County, Illinois, with winds of up to 85 mph.

Overall, there were more than 230 reports of tornadoes, damaging winds and hail across America’s Heartland, according to the NWS.

Severe storms are expected to continue into the evening in regions surrounding Cleveland, Cincinnati, Louisville, Kentucky and Nashville, Tennessee, forecasts show.

Apr 05, 2023, 1:30 PM EDT

At least 5 confirmed dead in Bollinger County, Missouri

At least five people have died in Bollinger County, according to local Sheriff Casey Graham.

"Several of our communities in Bollinger County, specifically the Grassy and Glenallen areas, were hit with what appears to be a significant tornado early this morning," Graham said in statement posted on Facebook.

Images show that the village of Glenallen sustained heavy damage. It sits just 4 miles from Marble Hill, the county seat.

Search and rescue efforts remain ongoing, Sgt. Clark Parrott of the Missouri Highway Patrol, told ABC News on Wednesday morning.

-ABC News' Will McDuffie

Apr 05, 2023, 12:47 PM EDT

Climate change is likely expanding Tornado Alley, experts say

As the Earth's temperature climbs, so does the threat of extreme weather events such as drought, wildfire, hurricanes and tornadoes -- all occurring more frequently and at higher magnitudes, according to climate scientists.

More violent and widespread tornado activity -- like the line of severe storms in recent days that killed dozens of people -- is expected in the future as global warming persists, experts told ABC News.

Destroyed homes and utility crews are seen in a neighborhood in the aftermath of a tornado in Sullivan, Indiana, April 2, 2023.
Jon Cherry/Reuters

While such events have occurred in the past, the evidence points to climate change contributing to the frequency and magnitude of tornado behavior, experts told ABC News.

"This is a representation of what we might perhaps expect to happen in a particularly active tornado season as we move forward in a warming climate regime," said Jana Houser, associate professor of meteorology at Ohio State University, of the recent deadly tornado activity.

Read more here.

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